Current biometrics and fingerprinting techniques can provide an image of a person's finger, capturing the traces of an impression from a finger's friction ridges caused by raised portions of the skin on the tip of the finger. Impressions of fingerprints can be left on a surface by sweat or secretion from glands present in friction ridges of a finger or can be made by transferring ink from the peaks of friction ridges to a surface, such as a fingerprint card. Fingerprints are typically used for identification purposes, particularly in forensics.
Current biometrics technology involves methods for recognizing individuals based on physical traits, such as fingerprints, face recognition, iris recognition, or retina recognition. Biometrics is typically used for verification so that an individual can be positively identified by making a one-to-one comparison of a captured biometric with a stored template. Biometrics can also be used to make a one-to-many comparison of a captured biometric against a biometric database in attempt to identify an unknown individual.